Review: Eleven Madison Park

Eleven Madison Park's "modern, pure and market-driven French cuisine" is enjoyable enough, but overall the dining experience disappoints.

I had been eager to visit this well-received Flatiron-area restaurant for quite some time. Upon arrival, two hostesses pleasantly greeted my friend Heather and me and dutifully took our rain-sprinkled umbrellas. Housed in the North Building of the Met Life Tower, the restaurant is decorated in an art deco style. My excitement found space for release in the airy, cavernous interior with its 35-foot high ceilings and majestically tall windows.

After being seated, we were promptly presented with a list containing, among other apéritifs, a dozen or so cocktails. My choice, the Monkey Gland (made from gin, orange juice, with a splash of absinthe and grenadine), was flavorful and well-balanced. Heather's, the Rose Cocktail, (dry vermouth, gin, apricot brandy, lemon juice, grenadine syrup and powdered sugar) was also perfectly mixed.

While we enjoyed our cocktails, I noticed the staff's attentiveness to when someone stepped away from his table (although as the evening progressed, the staff paid less attention to this). In the diner's absence, napkins were refolded. When the diner returned, someone was ready to pull the chair away from the table, or in our case pull the table away from the bench. Being impressed soon gave way to the first hiccup of the evening. Though we were leisurely sipping our cocktails, we felt we should have been given the menu a while ago. It turns out this was representative of Eleven Madison Park's biggest problem -- pacing.

We actually didn't need the menu, since we had planned beforehand to order the 11-course Gourmand tasting menu with wine pairing. For every course, there was an unacceptably long delay of over ten minutes between the wine pour and the food arriving at the table. Because of the stingy pours and the long waits, by the time the food was served, the wine was almost certainly already half-consumed. After finishing the course's small-portion of food, there was no wine to hold me over until the next course which also took an indefinite eternity to come out. Only management knows whether the delays are a deliberate psychological strategy intended to build anticipation for the next course.

We opened with five types of hors d'oeuvres (see photo above). I do not recall exactly what each item was, but the gruyère cheese gougères stood out. They were were topped with a few large grains of salt, which added a nice accent, but may have been too much salt.

First Course - Royal Sterling Caviar - Soft Poached Knoll Crest Farm Egg and Tapioca - The course should have been rightfully named for the poached egg since it was the overwhelmingly dominant part of the course. The egg was pleasantly warm and the tapioca pearls added some needed texture to the run of the yolk. The caviar was inconsequential.

Second Course - Heirloom Beets - Liquid Sphere with Lynnhaven Chèvre Frais - This course has its roots in molecular gastronomy. Beets and goat cheese were each transformed into liquid spheres which rested in a puddle of olive oil in ceramic spoons. The beet sphere tasted more distinctly like its original source material. The olive oil was very light and did not add much.

Third Course - Cape Cod Bay Crab - Roulade with Avocado, Lime, and Yogurt - This refreshing course was fantastic. The crab was well textured.

Fourth Course - Foie Gras - Terrine with Rhubarb, Celery, and Pickled Ramps - This foie gras was completely disappointing. The terrine tasted bland and was too firm. The accompanying foam was too airy and gritty.

Fifth Course - Wild Atlantic Halibut - Mi-cuit with Cauliflower, Green Almonds, and Razor Clams - I only remember that I enjoyed this course.

Sixth Course - Nova Scotia Lobster - Poached with Wild Nettles and Oregon Morels - The flavorful lobster soaked in a frothy pea soup which was pleasantly sweet.

Seventh Course - Niman Ranch Pork Belly - Sous-vide with Peas à la Française - The pork was very tender and moist, but not very flavorful.

Eighth Course - Black Angus Beef - Herb Roasted with Asparagus, Parmesan and Sauce Bordelaise - Again, the beef was very tender, but not very flavorful.

Ninth Course - Fromage - Selection of Artisanal Cheeses (see photo below) - The cheeses were wheeled to the table on a cart. Rather than explaining what was available, we were asked what we kind of cheeses we liked. Not really being able to articulate in any specific way what kind of cheese we liked, we asked the waiter to choose six different cheeses for us. The cheeses were good and each cheese was well-paired with an accoutrement, either a fruit spread or a nuts. The sommelier paired wines according to our selection. My only complaint about this course was that the service felt awkward. It was not really clear what our options were or what the waiter was choosing for us, and it took a really long time.

Tenth Course - "Vacherin" - Strawberries, Basil, and Black Pepper - The cheese was accompanied by a strawberry sauce. These three flavors worked very well together. I was surprised.

Eleventh Course - Chocolate-Peanut Butter - Palette with Popcorn Ice Cream - This was a wonderful dessert. the chocolate and peanut butter both had a bit of a crunch to them. The popcorn ice cream tasted exactly like it sounds like it would. I would have preferred that this course was switched with the tenth. It would have been nicer to end with something refreshing. If the point was to end with a course that would go well with coffee, the mignardises below would have served that purpose.

We closed with an array of six mignardises. I suppose they could have been called petit sixes? They were all very good, but I question the inclusion of chocolate-peanut butter morsel, a repeat of the last course.

The wines paired with the courses were a variety of wines from around Europe. Unfortunately, being mediocre and poorly paired, they did not add anything to the meal (except extra cost). There was one unforgivable incident relating to the wine that must be mentioned. At one point, my wine glass from the previous course was still on the table along with the new glass for the next wine. The sommelier mistakenly poured the new wine into the old glass. After he finished his standard pour, he realized his mistake and summoned for the glass to be taken away. He poured into the new glass, and ran out of wine. At this point, my glass was only at half of his standard pour, but he did not return to fill the glass.

At the end of the evening Chef Daniel Humm made the rounds to the tables to exchange pleasantries. He seemed friendly enough, but I didn't think it was appropriate to discuss my criticisms with him.

I should also mention that my stomach became sick shortly after leaving the restaurant. I am not certain what caused it, but the egg is a likely culprit.

The food was enjoyable enough, but it certainly did not match up to the caliber I expected based on the price and the majority of reviews. I would have liked to have learned a little more about the market-driven aspect of the menu. Were most things local? I would not say Eleven Madison Park's menu can distinguish itself from the myriad of other modern French restaurants.

The staff was friendly, but I do not feel that good service was provided. We were always left to wait for food to arrive, and what the sommelier did was simply unacceptable. If they were able to improve the service and pacing of the meal, then the overall experience would be much more enjoyable.

Date of visit: 5/16/08

Time of Reservation: 7:30 PM

Length of meal: 3 1/2 hours

Food Rating: 6/10

Service Rating: 4/10
Decor Rating: 9/10

Overall Rating: 5/10

Preparation of the cheese plates:

The beautiful dining room: